China lost 45 soldiers during Galwan Valley clash with India at LAC: Russian news agency

While reporting that the frontline troops of China and India at the south and north banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh have started disengagement, Russian news agency TASS has claimed that Beijing lost 45 soldiers in the Galwan Valley clash last year.

'45 Chinese servicemen dead': Russian news agency

According to a TASS report, "Chinese and Indian forces clashed in the region in May and June 2020, resulting in at least 20 Indian and 45 Chinese servicemen dead. Following these incidents, New Delhi and Beijing increased the concentration of forces in the region to about 50,000 people each."

This revelation by the Russian news agency comes even as China has remained silent on the number of casualties it suffered during the deadly clashes. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said that the frontline troops of China and India at the south and north banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh started "synchronised and organised" disengagement from Wednesday. There has been no official comment by either the Indian Defence Ministry or the Indian Army on the Chinese statement yet. However, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on the situation in eastern Ladakh.

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At their ninth round of military talks, the Indian and Chinese armies agreed to push for an "early disengagement" of troops and resolved to continue "effective efforts" to stabilise and control the situation in eastern Ladakh. "The two sides agreed to continue their effective efforts in ensuring the restraint of the frontline troops, stabilise and control the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the China-India border, and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity," said a joint statement after the talks.

Close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh amid continuing diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution to the standoff. The government on Wednesday said it will continue discussions with China to achieve the objective of disengagement of troops from all friction points and restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh at an early date. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said this in Lok Sabha while replying to a question on details of in-person and virtual meetings between India and China since the standoff began last year.

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(With agency inputs)